Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics take a lot of pride in their defence, so this one was a gem. For Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles, it was embarrassing.

Allen scored 17 points in just three quarters and the Celtics set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in the shot-clock era, routing the Bucks 87-56 on Sunday.

"I think playing defence perfectly is our goal," Allen said. "That's what we shoot for, but a team can still score while you're doing that."

Not this time.

It was the lowest score against the Celtics since they beat the Milwaukee Hawks 62-57 at Providence, R.I., on Feb. 27, 1955. The Bucks, who joined the NBA before the 1968-69 season, set a franchise record for fewest points.

"That's about as humiliating a defeat as you'll ever see," Skiles said. "They got us on our heels and took our competitive fight away from us. We pretty much just gave into it."